Illness
by Aprotny
Summary: When an illness sweeps over Unova, targeting young trainers and even ensnaring Ash and later Tracey, it's up to Iris, Cilan, and Delia to find a cure. I do not own Pokemon. Temporarily discontinued until I get through writers block.
1. Ash is ill

Beep… Beep… Beep…

Data printed out of the machine keeping Ash alive.

The doctor sighed as he read it. He turned to Iris and Cilan. "Your friend just keeps getting worse. Unless we find a cure soon, he won't survive."

Iris and Cilan looked at each other.

"You've tried everything?" Cilan asked.

The doctor nodded. "It so happens there's been a pattern of trainers in Unova falling to the same illness. Some haven't made it. As of last night, Unova is under Quarantine. No one will be allowed in or out of the region."

"There's only one thing we can do then." Iris decided.

"What's that?" Cilan questioned.

"We're going to find a cure!" Iris told him.

"Half of the doctors and researchers all over the world are out there searching for it. You can look too, but you might not have any luck." The doctor told him.

"It's the only thing we can do to help Ash!" Cilan pointed out. "We have to!"

"Before you go, do you know his mother's phone number? We haven't managed to contact her." The doctor asked.

"To tell the truth, we don't." Iris admitted. "But I think Professor Oak might. Do you know his number?"

The doctor nodded. "Thank you."

**Professor Oak's Lab…**

Ring! Ring! The telephone rang.

"I'll get it!" Tracey called to Mrs. Ketchum. "It's probably Professor Oak or another professor!" He picked up the phone. "Hello? Professor Oak's lab. How may I help you?"

"This is Doctor Gerald Hans. I was hoping you would know the number of someone I'm trying to reach. Would you happen to know a Mrs. Delia Ketchum? It's very important." The man on the other end asked.

"You don't need her number. She's here with me. Will you hold a moment? I'll go get her." Tracey put the phone on hold and ran to get Mrs. Ketchum. "Mrs. Ketchum, it's for you."

"Really? Why didn't they call me at home?" Mrs. Ketchum asked.

"Didn't know your number. " Tracey replied. "Come on. The guy said it was important."

Mrs. Ketchum picked up the phone. "Hello? This is Delia Ketchum speaking." As she listened, the color drained from her face. "What city are you in? I'm coming there!" She answered frantically. She listened some more. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN UNOVA'S UNDER QUARANTINE? I HAVE TO BE WITH MY SON! NO EXCEPTIONS? WHY YOU…"

Tracey stared as she started cursing at the man on the other end.

She slammed the phone back on its hook. "HE HUNG UP ON ME! HOW DARE HE HANG UP ON ME?" She screamed.

Tracey hid.

She lowered her voice as soon as she noticed. "I'm sorry, Tracey. He just informed me Ash was in the hospital and I can't go see him."

"Why is Unova under Quarantine?" Tracey asked.

"I don't know. I didn't give him the chance to tell me." Mrs. Ketchum admitted.

"I'll bet it's all over the news. A whole region put under quarantine is pretty big." Tracey pointed out.

Mrs. Ketchum snatched the remote and flipped on the television.

"This just in." A reporter announced. "As of last night, the whole Unova region has been put under quarantine. From the information we've managed to gather, this sudden status is due to a mass outbreak of a deadly illness targeting young trainers. If you have visited the Unova region in the past few months, it is asked that you report to a hospital for a checkup immediately."

Tracey glanced at Mrs. Ketchum. "Wait. Isn't Professor Oak in Unova right now?"

Mrs. Ketchum raced to the phone and dialed Professor Juniper's number.

One of Professor Juniper's assistants answered. Apparently, Professor Oak and Professor Juniper were out searching for a cure for the sickness.

"Thank you for the information. Bye." Mrs. Ketchum hung up the phone. "I sure hope they find the cure. Ash is the whole world to me."

"I'm sure the other trainers' parents feel the same about their kids." Tracey said. "I'm going out to feed the pokemon. It's time for their dinner." He left.

Mrs. Ketchum sighed. "Oh, Ash. Please be okay."


	2. Investigation

Iris popped out of a bush, startling Cilan. "Nothing here that can help."

Cilan thought for a moment. "In order to cure this mysterious illness, we're going to need to find the cause first."

Iris took a bite out of an apple. "You're right. We need to find out who did this and how."

"Who?" Cilan asked. "What makes you think this is a person?"

"It can't possibly be natural. Someone caused the illness. We just don't know who and how." Iris responded, taking another bite of her apple.

"You may be right, Iris." Cilan said. "We need to think back to before this started. When did Ash start feeling sick?"

"It was a few weeks after that Pokemon Trainers Convention." Iris said.

"The Pokemon Trainers Convention! Do you think it started there?" Cilan gasped.

"Maybe. It was the last time he was alone before the illness hit." Iris pointed out. "He said something about going to see a fortune teller."

Cilan nodded. "He also said she painted some sort of magic symbol for good fortune on his forehead that was gone when he found us."

"We need to find that fortune teller! Surely she'll have answers for us!" Iris shouted.

"Iris, quiet down! We don't want everyone to know our business!" Cilan hissed. "How are we going to find this fortune teller anyway?"

Iris smirked. "Simple. We ask the guy who was in charge of the convention."

**An hour later…**

"Yes, we're calling about the Pokemon Trainers Convention that took place in your town a few months ago." Iris said into the phone. "We heard you were in charge of it." She listened for a moment. "There was a fortune teller at that convention. We need to talk to her." She listened some more. "Thank you, sir." She hung up.

"Well?" Cilan asked.

"The fortune teller left for Kanto a week ago. If she really is the cause for the illness, Kanto will be hit next." Iris told him.

"How are we supposed to find her? We can't leave Unova." Cilan said.

"We can't, but there's someone who can find her for us." Iris crossed her arms. "The doctor gave us Professor Oak's number in case we needed to get in touch with Ash's mother. Professor Oak and Ash's mother can help."

Cilan took out the slip of paper and dialed the number.

A boy answered the phone. "Hello? Professor Oak's Lab. How may I help you?"

"Hello, may I talk to Professor Oak, please?" Cilan asked.

The boy shook his head. "He's out of town right now. He won't be back for a while. May I take a message?"

Cilan turned to Iris and put his hand over the phone. "He's out of town."

"Ask if we can talk to Ash's mom." Iris suggested.

Cilan nodded. "Is Mrs. Ketchum there?"

"Yes. Please hold for a moment." The boy said.

Ash's mother came on the phone. "How may I help you?" She looked as if she hadn't slept in weeks.

Cilan explained about the fortune teller. "Try not to make it clear why you're asking, but we need to know." He suggested a couple questions to ask. "Please help."

"Anything for Ash." Mrs. Ketchum replied. "I'll see what I can do. Call back in a week and I'll tell you if I found anything." She hung up the phone.

So did Cilan. "She's going to help."

"That's great! We have to look into other theories as well, though. It might not have been the fortune teller." Iris pointed out.

Cilan nodded. "Good idea. What else happened before Ash caught the illness?"

"Well, the last time he was separated from us before the fortune teller was when he was hunting a new pokemon." Iris said after a moment's thought.

"You think this could have been a pokemon?" Cilan questioned.

"Probably not, but it's worth looking into every possibility." Iris shrugged.

Cilan agreed. "Then, let's check it out."


	3. The Fortune Teller

Tracey and Mrs. Ketchum walked into town together. They needed food for both houses, so they were headed for the market.

Suddenly, Tracey spotted a tent set up with a long line of people waiting.

He walked towards it.

"Tracey? Where are you going?" Mrs. Ketchum called.

Tracey looked at the sign in front of the tent. It said 'fortune teller'.

He pushed to the front of the line, ignoring the people yelling at him for cutting.

The fortune teller didn't seem to care. "Would you like your fortune told today, my dear boy?

Tracey shook his head. "I just have some questions."

"One moment." The fortune teller painted a symbol on his forehead. Tracey tried to wipe it off, but it was already gone. "Now I'll answer your questions."

"Were you at a trainers convention in Unova a few months ago?" Tracey asked.

"Yes. Why do you ask?" The fortune teller replied.

"Why were you painting symbols for good fortune on trainers' foreheads and why did they disappear so fast?" Tracey continued.

"I don't know why they disappeared, but I painted them to give the trainers good fortune in their battles." The fortune teller said.

"Did those symbols have any side effects?" Tracey questioned.

"Maybe they did, maybe they didn't. It doesn't matter now." The fortune teller smirked. She waved a hand across Tracey's face. The symbol on his forehead glowed and then disappeared again. "You've asked your questions. I have nothing more to say to you."

Tracey stumbled out of the fortune teller's tent and walked over to Mrs. Ketchum.

He told her about the conversation in whispers.

The next day, he collapsed into the same illness Ash and the other trainers in Unova had.


	4. Ideas

"So it _was_ the fortune teller!" Cilan gasped. "We have to stop her!"

"But how?" Mrs. Ketchum asked. "When Tracey got too close to the truth, she put him in the hospital."

"Tracey?" Cilan questioned.

"He's Professor Oak's assistant. He's the one who spotted the fortune teller and asked the questions." Mrs. Ketchum explained. "The next day, he was having trouble breathing and wouldn't wake up. He had to be rushed to the emergency room."

"Just like Ash…" Cilan said. "It was definitely the fortune teller! But it was a couple weeks after Ash saw the fortune teller that he was put in the hospital. Why so soon for Tracey?"

"My guess is that she sped up the process so that Tracey wouldn't interfere with her plan." Mrs. Ketchum responded. "I can't think of any other explanation."

"Tell the police. Maybe they'll believe you. If they don't, gather whatever help you can get and try and stop her yourself." Cilan said. "Now that we know the cause, we'll probably have a little more success in finding a cure. That's what Iris and I will work on."

"Thank you. We'll do everything we can to stop her." Mrs. Ketchum replied. "Good luck."

"Good luck to you too. Bye." Cilan hung up the phone and turned to Iris. "The fortune teller must've used some sort of spell to cause the illness. That's what we have to work on curing."

"We need to talk to someone who's good at alchemy." Iris said. "Maybe they can help. There's someone in my village that knows alchemy. We should go there."

Cilan agreed and they set off.

**Meanwhile…**

"You think a fortune teller caused the illness in Unova? That's impossible!" Officer Jenny exclaimed.

Mrs. Ketchum explained her reasoning.

Officer Jenny shook her head. "I'm sorry. It's just not possible."

"Shouldn't you look into every theory?" Mrs. Ketchum asked.

"We look into every likely theory. A fortune teller? That's unlikely." Officer Jenny replied.

Mrs. Ketchum sighed and left.

She went to the phone in her house and called Misty and Brock. Both promised to be there soon.

Mrs. Ketchum sat down on the couch in the living room, thinking about Ash and Tracey. What if Ash's friends couldn't cure them in time?

She was still worrying about them when Misty and Brock arrived hours later.

"So what was it you wanted us here for, Mrs. Ketchum?" Misty asked. "You sounded desperate."

Mrs. Ketchum hesitated. "Have you heard about the illness in Unova?"

"Yes, but that's really far away. What's that have to do with us?" Brock asked.

"Ash is in Unova. He has the illness." Mrs. Ketchum said softly.

"What?" Misty and Brock shouted in unison.

"His new friends are out there looking for the cure." Mrs. Ketchum continued. "They found the cause. A fortune teller has been placing a spell on young trainers. We don't know why, but we have to stop her."

"But no one can go in or out of Unova." Misty pointed out.

"I know. That's the problem. The fortune teller came here shortly before Unova was placed under quarantine. They can't come here to stop her so they enlisted my help, along with Tracey's." Mrs. Ketchum said. "Tracey questioned her, trying to find out if she really was the one who did it. She put him under the spell to stop him from meddling with her plan. That proved she did it. I can't stop her on my own and the police don't believe me, so I called you. Please help."

"Is that even a question? Of course we'll help! We can't let her succeed with whatever her plan is!" Misty replied with hands on hips.

"I have to agree with Misty. We've got to stop that fortune teller." Brock agreed.

"Great! Let's get started then." Mrs. Ketchum said. "There must be a way to prove she's the one who did it without being placed under the spell."

"Um… shouldn't we visit Tracey first?" Brock asked.

Misty shook her head. "No time. We'll visit him later."

The three walked out of the house and walked to where the Fortune Teller's booth was. There was still a long line to get in.

Brock thought for a moment, and then smiled. "I've got a plan."


End file.
